Main menu

Post navigation

Friday Night and Maternity Pants – Two Posts in One

With Devo gone until late to drive kids to the Pathfinder campout, I had anticipated a quiet evening. We had just finished cutting a post-dinner snack of a pear (for Amelie and I) and an apple (for Amelie and Lia), when the doorbell rang.

It was our two favorite babysitters and their brother. They hadn’t gotten the text message announcing No Friday Night Small Groups at our house.

We must have looked forlorn and abandoned, because they came in, shared some apple and pear, listened to my maternity pants shopping woes (read below), admired the children, and then had an uproarious game of hide-and-seek. Not as uproarious as last Friday’s game, which involved four or five more people and resulted in closet door derailment and the baby gate being dismantled. Even Amelie can count to ten and call out, “Here I come!”

And then they left, and we went to bed happy. So happy that I wasn’t even frustrated by the fact that I was still lying in bed awake when Devo got home at 11. Or that I woke up many times, recklessly drinking draughts of water (I was going to be waking up anyhow, might as well make it worth my while), only falling into a deep sleep three hours before the rooster crowed. If you can call Amelie a rooster.

That’s pretty happy.

Okay, so Friday I went to the mall to return a dress I had bought at Motherhood Maternity. For full price. When I bought it, I knew I might not keep it, so I specifically asked about the return policy. Return within ten days. I think Target’s 90 day return policy is a little unreasonable. 10 days, and when I’m pregnant, busy, and forgetful? Disastrous.

But none the less, I came back within ten days (miraculously coinciding the laborious trip to the mall with picking up my new glasses from Lens Crafters next door, SCORE!). But first I went through JC Penney to see if I could find some reasonably priced maternity pants. For I had determined to buy maternity pants, even if they weren’t perfect. Or close to perfect.

But, lo and behold, I found a pair of maternity jeans on clearance – buy one get one free – and they had two. Two pairs of pants for $20. Not too shabby. I will, of course, have to spend some time tomorrow hemming them up 5 inches – but I was definitely feeling lucky.

So I trotted on up to Motherhood Maternity, eager for my refund, glad to have all that maternity shopping behind me. I’m entering the third trimester of my third (full) pregnancy – not going to be buying many more clothes. I sailed up to the counter, handed over the dress and the receipt, and they said, “How do you want it?”

“Oh,” I replied airily, “just put it back on my card.”

“We don’t refund. You can only exchange or get in-store credit.”

I must admit that I threw, what is for me the perpetual smiling people pleaser, a leetle tiny bit of a hissy fit.

Which means that I whined.

“But I ASKED what the return policy was and she said TEN DAYS. She didn’t say anything about exchange only!”

And then the girl had the gall to point out where I had initialed the receipt and the faint paragraph explaining the return policy.

Ooh, I almost lost it then.

I hyperventilated, made several comments about how ridiculous the policy is, and then, mid-flow, I realized something–

“I’m probably not the first person to complain about this, am I.” They seemed remarkably bored and unentertained with my hysteria. Not even irritated.

Nope.

Well, I took my gift card as graciously as I could. But I deigned not to stay and spend it in their presence.

I want my $26 back! I had plans for that $26! Plans that did not include over-priced, sometimes poorly made, definitely poorly designed maternity clothes.

Miffed, that’s what I am.

A policy like that is enough to make me to decide not to shop there again.

Well, after I spend those $26, that is.

Advertisements

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

3 thoughts on “Friday Night and Maternity Pants – Two Posts in One”

I join you in the boycott of Motherhood Maternity, after never returning any of the miserable clothes I’ve purchased and recently feeling a personal affront after they discontinued my preferred style of nursing bra. I wouldn’t care if they went out of business. But I guess someone keeps shopping there. We need more maternity shopping OPTIONS!

I am chiming in as well. I finally broke down and bought some things there (at MM) because I am having trouble with shirts. My belly is not big enough for larges and I am too tall for mediums. But, as I am almost half way through the 8th month (and really feel silly buying clothes) I am also getting to the point that I may stretch out my normal shirts if I keep wearing them. And there is the whole dilemma of the pants showing which you so brilliantly discussed earlier. And I won’t even get into the issue with the nylons that I purchased at MM… To end my diatribe before it gets too out of hand though, I have been relatively pleased with Kohls. Especially when things are on sale.

Post navigation

Welcome!

This blog explores Leilani's ongoing quest to find meaning (or humor, if the meaning escapes) in the daily adventure of home life she shares with four children and her husband. Some of what you'll find here reflects real life, some of it only exists in Leilani's brain.